Mounting your gear—amp, CD player, music server, turntable, etc.—on a really good platform transforms the sound. Surprisingly, maple platforms are much warmer, clearer, punchier and more detailed than granite, slate, glass (the worst), myrtle or exotic hardwoods, or any of the hi-tech damped composites—based on 20 years of my painstaking, head-to-head listening experiments. Adding brass footers to drain vibration out of your gear into the maple doubles the good effect.
Maple’s superiority over all other woods is old news to every violin and piano maker since Stradivarius and Steinway. Instrument makers taught me to NEVER use commercial, kiln-dried wood. As my listening confirmed, the kiln’s high heat seriously deadens the maple’s good sound. Butcher block is another step worse.
Because finding air-dried 2" to 4" thick maple at ordinary lumber yards is impossible, I turned to a local Amish sawmill—the best thing I ever did. They find us logs of very special maple indeed: 75 to 100 year old Maryland old growth maple that sounds distinctly better than Canadian rock maple. Even better, these old trees yield gorgeous wood: lovely nut-colored Ambrosia contrasts, subtly shimmering curl and tiger stripes, all far from the boring whiteness of young lumber yard maple.
After our rough cut maple air dries for three years, our Amish craftsmen, Ben and his son Crist, meticulously plane, bevel, shape and sand our platforms. Ben takes particular pride in his gleaming lacquer finishes. They handsomely show off the dramatic character of our old-growth Ambrosia maple.
To see and learn more about our unique cottage industry, click here. Or, click here to view our maple’s striking beauty.
For the last few years I have been using the Bright Star rack of Gilbraltar for my components. Recently I ordered the ready to finish platform in a size that would allow me to replace the plinth on the Bright Star shelf. I chose the shelf that holds my Cary 303/300 tube cd player. The improvement in sound is shocking. Deeper,tighter bass,more detail,warmer and smoother on the top end. I just ordered two more today! - Walt
As soon as I put the maple platforms (2 inch model) under my turntable (Linn LP 12), I knew I had a winner. I don t know how it works and why all what I hear is more music, more tune, less harshness in the sound. In my system, in my room, the maple platforms did wonders! - Samir
I have been into this hobby/disease seriously for about fifteen years and it still shocks me how something you think as irrelevant as a stand can make a HUGE difference. My search for holy sound nirvana has lead me to a very expensive but incredible system. My system consists of Magnepan 20.1's, Audio Aero Capitale Mark II, and Tube Research Labs 300 Mono blocks with all the necessary high end cabling and power products. This is an amazing system by any standards but it went through quite a change when I bought one of the MapleShade 4in maple blocks for the Audio Aero Capital. I had been using several other types of stands/racks including SRA(Silent Running Audio), Salamander, Adona, Billy Bags, etc. The Maple Shade Block under the Audio Aero improved the sound by about ten percent which in my system is like the second coming. The best improvement came in depth and warmth of the system. The reduction in background noise was also very noticeable. I now waiting for a set of the oversized blocks for the amps which were just released. Expect even better improvement there. - Matthew
This platform is a must for all hi-end CD or DVD players. I use it with the triple point cones underneath my Sony scd777es with great improvements thru out the audio bandwidth. Two thumbs up! - Tom Pho
I recently used two customed-made brackets to mount my VPI TNT turntable on a Maple Platform on the wall of my listening room. Not only does the turntable sound much better mounted on the wall (records with good pressings now sound incredibly quiet), but the platform with beveled edges looks great. - Randy Fishman
The Mapleshade Maple Platform + Isoblocks sounds better than anything I've tried so far under my Edison 60 integrated tube amp and Rega turntable. It seams to isolate and drain (through the Ultimate Triplepoints Cones) all bad vibes from the components with unparalleled neutrality. The midrange and highs are clear without a hint of grain and the bass is much more controlled and defined. Imaging is very accurate. Highly recommended. - Julien Maculan
I started tweaking my Sennheiser HD-600 system several years ago.I started with the Wheatfield HA-1 tube amp. with upgraded tubes.Since I started,I added an EVS Millennium 1B Dac,a GW Labs Dsp upsampler,Z digital cables,Stefan AudioArt HD-600 cable, BPT Power conditoner and Homegrown Silver Lace interconnects.
I was very happy with my system. The last thing I would consider was Vibration Control. BIG MISTAKE!!!! I placed the Millenium Dac on top of a set of Ulimate Triplepoint Brass Cones and a 15" x 18" finished Maple Block and a set of Heavyfeet. My system transformed into a pathway to hear a clear image of music I did not think possible.Crystal clear images,tightly focused, Dynamic and Real. Thank you Pierre Sprey for yor time and expert advice. - Mark Rubin
I've been using the Mapleshade isolation system (4 inch maple, Ultimate Triplepoint cones and isoblocks) under two components: my Accuphase DP 90 transport, and my Berning Siegfried 300B amp. Let me be very clear. In 12 years of audiophilia, I have never heard a more impressive upgrade. We are out of the land of tweaks and well into the realm of alchemy here. Pierre has artfully tuned brass, wood, rubber and cork and breathed real life into the silicon, glass, metal and ABS of my system.
The Mapleshade system retired the Vibraplane that had graced my system for 5 years—easily. It took just 10 minutes of listening--the easiest A/B comparison I've ever done. It outclassed a new cone product that uses ceramic balls much like the Aurios.
What's special about it? Everything. The first time I listened, it was visceral. The muscles in my temples just relaxed and went "AHHHHH." Hey, I didn't think they were tight before, but you always realize these things retroactively. Color, dynamics, bass, articulation, treble extension—pick any audiophile goody you choose. It digs into the message of the music deeply. It didn't matter what disk I spun, I was riveted. I'll close by stealing a line from Frank Doris a few years ago: "It blew me away to a point I thought I was too jaded to reach anymore." - David Zigas
I must admit, I was a little skeptical about the maple platforms, but over the course of several days (listening sessions) and some experimenting, I have to admit, Pierre is right, the maple does offer the best of all sound worlds. It clearly made my Pioneer Stable Platter, Model PD-65 sing!!
...The best way I can describe the sound of the brass cones/maple platform/w isoblocks is that I can hear much deeper into the sound stage. Everything is much clearer now with the brass cones. I can hear triangles and other bells that I never heard before, and it makes a singer's voice sound much smoother and actually does kind of clean up some of the harshness that is inherent in most CD's nowadays. The bass is much more defined now (more solid sounding). A more fuller sounding bass. When I order my next platform for my tube amp, I think I'll order an unfinished one and (finish) it myself. Not that the finished maple platform isn't nicely done, it's just that I've decided I can put a hand rubbed finish on just about as well myself and save the extra cash for more CD's.
Bottomline: I don't think you can go wrong buying the 2" maple platform with the isoblocks, and small brass cones. It's probably the best thing that I have done to my system in quite a while. It has restored the excitement back into my system. I had gotten away from listening to music for a while there, but now have gotten back into listening to my system more, because the sound is that much more alive sounding than before. And, isn't that what all of us audiophiles want out of our systems to get that "you are there" live sound? I think I may eventually try your power strip out also and see how much better it makes my system sound than my old Chang Lite speed power line filter... Again, I want to thank you for all your help and explanations you gave me in earlier emails. - Bob Matthews
The custom Rosewood stained platforms you made for my amps are awesome. It's the perfect match of ying and yang in my system. AN ABSOLUTELY PROFOUND IMPROVEMENT IN MY SYSTEM. Been doing this for 30 years now as a hobbyist, wholesaler and retailer and life long friend of one of the best designers in the business (Bob Hovland) and I still was not prepared for what the platforms didfor the clarity, musicality and bass and treble extention - Ken Beckman
Two years ago, if someone had told me that in the near future I would be investing nearly $400 in a 50+ pound piece of maple to put under my turntable I would have said "only if yo’ mama carries up the stairs to my apartment." Life plays funny tricks on us sometimes, though, doesn’t it?
Background
A number of months ago, shortly before I received my VPI Scout package, the esteemed HW of VPI posted that the use of a wooden isolation platform would greatly enhance the sound of the Scout. He suggested a cheap, DIY version that involved two Crate & Barrel cutting boards and some Vibrapods. I dutifully strolled over to the new Crate & Barrel that had just opened on the corner of Broadway and Houston and picked up two cutting boards for a total of $65, as I remember. I think there was a holiday sale on. Another Asylum Inmate had posted that several layers of bubble wrap would work well under the platform instead of Vibrapods. Not being entirely sold on the merits of isolation at this stage in the game, I decided to save a few bucks and went for the bubble wrap. I took these pieces home, used some wood glue to join the two cutting boards, cut the bubble wrap to size and, voila!, my isolation platform was up and running.
The results were noticeable if not jaw dropping. The turntable I was using at that time was of less than audiophile quality. Considerably less. So that was that, for the time being.
Mapleshade & Me
Some months later I became acquainted with Mapleshade Records. Of particular interest to me were their "tweaks and wires." In the months since I’d whipped up the isolation platform I had become something of a tweaking fanatic, given to assiduous experimentation and daily consultations with the fine folks of the various Asylums in search of avuncular advice. Mapleshade came up repeatedly and seemed always to get the thumbs up. I reviewed their marketing materials and found that I share a certain mindset with whoever it is that writes their material. Having been a musician for 25+ years and spent many hours in recording studios, I concur with them that wood and brass offer unique sound enhancements when used with instruments and recording equipment. It follows logically that they would enhance playback equipment as well.
I began by ordering some cones, then some isolation blocks, then graduated to a set of their eight foot Double Helix speaker cables. All were reasonably priced and added palpably to the quality of sound produced by my system. I was hooked to the point of becoming a Mapleshade myrmidon.
As the taxman’s generosity earlier this year had aided considerably in relieving me of my usual parsimony, I decided to retire my DIY isolation platform and invest in a real one. Mapleshade seemed the logical choice for me, though I had read many good things about Ken Lyon’s Nuance shelf and various other isolation shelves. I have not, though, actually heard any of these shelves, only my own DIY creation.
I placed my order for a fifty pound, finished, custom maple platform, 24" x 21" x 4" for use under my Scout. According to Mapleshade "Two inch maple makes a satisfying improvement under every stereo component I’ve tried. Turntables improved astonishingly! (Incidentally, the platform should be slightly larger than the component it supports.) Stepping up to a four inch thickness is a serious sonic upgrade. Solid maple this thick is nearly impossible to find at lumberyards, so I’ve hooked up with a nearby country sawmill that cuts maple logs to our spec. We air dry our maple, because kiln-dried wood—the only kind you can buy commercially—sounds deader. (The great violin makers only use air dried wood.) Local Amish cabinetmakers plane, sand, bevel and then finish our platforms with four coats of clear, hand-rubbed lacquer. This handsomely shows off the dramatic grain and nut-colored streaks of our maple."
Needless to say, I found all this most compelling.
The Beast Arrives
Some ten weeks after ordering, my platform finally arrived via UPS. Apparently the long winter lengthened the wood’s drying time. Initial impressions: It is heavy. And huge. But let me not dwell on the obvious. After a few hours with it I thought it smelled funny, noticed it had been slightly damaged in transit (plastic peanuts crushed into the wood) and came with its own bugs. As a specialist in "dealing with it", I’m hoping that the smell will go away, that I can live with the peanut residue and that the insects were killed before they had a chance to nest inside my pre amp. The things we audiophiles will endure!
In terms of the way it improved the sound of my system, let me pick one of my favorite adjectives from Stereophile’s lexicon and one the highest compliments possible—it made it sound positively stentorian. But before I crown Mapleshade king of kings and say goodnight, let me address exactly why I think this hunk of maple is so good.
After adding Mapleshade’s Double Helix speaker wires I found that my system became, overall, more transparent, though still a bit wild with some recordings. But along with this transparency there was an almost shrill brightness in the upper midrange. Some female vocals were positively painful to hear at normal listening volume. This struck me as odd because my Grado Sonata is hailed as one of the best cartridges for reproducing female vocals. I remembered a review I’d read where an Inmate criticized the Mapleshade wires for being too bright. I wondered if it might be in my best interests to exercise my option on Mapleshade’s 30-day money back offer. Could this be one of those issues of missing system synergy so often written about?
Over the next few weeks the wires calmed down and, though my system was still sounding a tad on the bright side, became a joy to listen to. Then I added VPI’s Stainless Steel & Delrin record clamp (read my review.) This took most of the wildness out of the system without making it sound dull, lifeless, rolled off at the top or analytical.
The last step up the ladder came with the addition of the Mapleshade isolation platform. It further enhanced all the positives that the speaker wires and record clamp brought. The system sounds authoritative to a degree I did not think possible given the dubious pedigree of my Epos M12 speakers and oddly shaped listening room. Bass is full without being boomy, more fully realized and just plain deeper. Upper mids are fully revealed, though in proper proportion, and the fabled Grado lushness is displayed in all its glory. My system seems to grab a piece of vinyl, spread it out over the room and parade around every last bit of information available like a trophy wife at a high school reunion. Pardon my grandiloquence but I get pretty juiced up about this stuff.
Listening
Recently, in a discussion of Mapleshade, an Inmate said that a friend tried a Mapleshade platform and it sucked all the life out of his system. I can see how in some systems this might be the case. Synergy, again. But in my system the platform was just the right thing to quell any last bit of contumacy and has made it sound like I added more than $400 to my system overall.
I’ve been running through a number of my favorite records and had nothing but fun basking in their sound. Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66 Equinox sounds glorious for a disposable piece of 60’s pop ephemera. Cowbells have actual pitches and are no longer just percussive clangs, I can actually hear the distance between the mic and the piano and the soundstage is broad and deep. And Lani Hall’s voice is gorgeous. That Herb Alpert knew how to set up a mic! The acoustic guitars on side one of Guns ‘N’ Roses Lies are shimmering and fill the room. Listening with eyes closed, the soundstage is so wide it seems to extend beyond the size of the room. The horns on my original Living Stereo pressing of Cootie Williams In Stereo are so buoyant and layered it’s easy to see what all the fuss over these old RCA LPs is about.
Conclusion
In the case of Mapleshade I have to say that you can believe the hype. I did and I don’t regret it. I have come to trust what they say and respect the fact that they stand so firmly behind their spiel and their R&D that everything, including their CDs, comes with a money back guarantee. Someday, I may upgrade to a more expensive turntable. Hell, hopefully I’ll be upgrading to a more expensive everything! But I think the Mapleshade platform will be around no matter what evolution takes place in my system.
And, by the way, it was not "yo’ mama" that carried it up the steps to my apartment. It was the UPS guy. - Greg B.
